Four days ago, Chicago rock band Wilco made global headlines for canceling their upcoming show in Indianapolis over Indiana’s controversial “religious freedom” law. Now, the show May 7 at the Murat Theatre at Old National Center is back on.
Wilco cited changes to the proposed Religious Freedom Restoration Act, a need for dialogue on the law, as well as a 20-year career of playing the Hoosier State in releasing the following statement, which you can read below.
On Monday, the band described the RFRA as “this odious measure” and felt it was “thinly disguised legal discrimination.” In their message today, Wilco announced that proceeds to ticket sales will also be donated to “organizations fighting to build on the progress we hope this change makes in Indiana and beyond.”
Here’s their message in full, which was posted to Facebook:
We consider the changes to Indiana’s RFRA a good first step toward creating the sort of welcoming environment we encourage everywhere, so we’re reinstating our May 7 show at The Murat, which we canceled earlier this week. To quote an Indiana University statement from yesterday, “religious liberty and equal protection under the law are both cornerstones of our democracy and they should not be in conflict with each other.” Well said, IU.
Now for the practical stuff: Tickets purchased through Ticketmaster or The Murat are still valid. If you purchased your ticket during the Wilcoworld pre-sale, you will be contacted directly regarding repurchase. If your plans have changed for whatever reason or if you no longer want to attend the show, refunds are available at your point of purchase.
We’ve been putting on shows with our neighbors in Indiana for more than 20 years and are happy to continue that at the Murat in May. We’ll also donate a portion of the proceeds from this show to organizations fighting to build on the progress we hope this change makes in Indiana and beyond. More details soon.
Love, Wilco